Dog Boy
by Erymanthos
Summary: AU: A circus of freaks that are the real thing, and a ringmaster who, if he has his way, will make sure that the ring and his whip are the last things they see. That is, until one of his prize freaks escapes...
1. Pepper Spray's Good on Tacos

Chapter 1: Pepper Spray's Good on Tacos

I decided to write this because it was an idea that had been floating around in my head for a while now... Inuyasha as a kid. Wouldn't he be so adorable? Would he be any different than his regular moody, teenage self? Would he still have a tragic past that NO ONE should have to bear haunting him day and night? You'll have to read to find out!

And R&R to find out faster. ;)

Disclaimer: I own neither Inuyasha, Pillsbury, or Nestle. But as I am sitting here writing this fanfic, isn't that blaringly obvious already?

* * *

"Kagome!" 

The cheerful shout pierced through the layers of her deep slumber, slowly, grudgingly pulling her back up to the surface of wakefulness. She groaned and pulled the covers- her nice, warm covers that she NEVER wanted to leave- over her head.

"Kagome! It's time to get up!" Footsteps approached her bed, and suddenly the covers were swept clear off her, leaving her to the mercy of the air-conditioner that someone had cruelly set to "Artic."

"Sango! Stop that!" Kagome shouted, or tried to at any rate. It came out rather garbled in fact: "Snnoospat…"

Without opening her eyes she reached down towards the end of the bed and pulled the covers back over her head, effectively shutting out the rest of the world. Or so she hoped.

"Come on, it's late enough in the morning as it is." Kagome's best friend Sango, who had spent the night, poked her playfully through the covers. Kagome squirmed and flailed at the assailing finger, but only succeeded in getting the sheets hopelessly twisted around her.

Finally, she managed to free herself and shot up, clawing her long, tangled black hair away from her face.

"I'm up! I'm up! Now leave me alone!" she exclaimed furiously (but coherently). Sango sat back with barely concealed mirth. Kagome glared.

"What?! I always look like this in the mornings, if that's what you find so funny…"

Sango laughed. "No…"

"Liar."

"…But if I didn't know better," she continued, "I'd've thought you'd forgotten that it's your birthday today." She deposited a large box in Kagome's lap. "Happy Birthday, Kagome!"

Kagome's eyes widened and she snatched up the box. "Oh, wow! Thanks, Sango!"

"Don't go thanking me yet. Don't you want to see what's inside?"

Kagome ripped off the wrapping paper and dug into the box, then let out a gasp. She held up a fancy deep red sweater, shaking it unnecessarily to get out any phantom wrinkles. "Sango, it's that sweater I've been wanting! How did you get it?"

Sango sighed sorrowfully. "Oh, only with the remains of my measly paycheck and even measlier allowance… Actually, I was about to pass it up, but then I thought, heck, it is Kagome's birthday, and I'd do anything for my dearest friend."

Kagome hugged her. "This is great! Thank you so mu…" She broke off, peering at the tag. "Wait a second… '40 percent off sale… $20.00'?!"

"Oh. I um… that is, I…" Sango twiddled her fingers. "…Crud. I _knew _I should have cut off the tag."

Kagome glared at her, then grinned. "Okay… I'll forgive you if we race from… here to the kitchen, and you lose."

"And if _you_ lose?"

"Then I'll hold a grudge against you for the rest of my life!"

She sprang out of bed, flinging the sweater onto the back of her computer chair, and together she and Sango raced down the hall to the kitchen.

"I win!" Kagome cried, coming to a dramatic sock-sliding halt on the hardwood floor.

"You cheated," Sango protested, coming up behind her.

"I forgive you," Kagome replied, patting her on the shoulder solemnly.

"Well well, if it isn't the Birthday Girl! I thought you'd never get up." Kagome's father looked up from the open oven door. "And just in time, too."

Within the oven was a tray of big, fluffy cinnamon buns gently bubbling on top and drizzled with frosting. He carefully eased it out and carried it over to the kitchen table, where he set it down just as the two girls sat down.

"And here you go, sweetie. A special treat!" Kagome's dad pecked his daughter on the forehead. "Dig in."

"Thanks Dad! I love birthdays!" Kagome reached for one but immediately snatched back her hand and shook it rapidly in front of her. "Hot!"

Sango snickered. "You gotta wait until _after_ they cool, Kagome."

Kagome glared. "I know that," she sniffed, her nose in the air. Then she abandoned her haughty façade and began to whimper pitifully. "I… know…"

Her friend sighed. "Five minutes of waiting is not going to kill you, Kagome."

"Oh, won't it, now," she shot back. Then she abandoned her act and began to laugh along with Sango.

"Hey, I know something that will cheer you up!" Dad sat down beside Kagome.

"Yeah, what?" she replied curiously.

"How about, as a special treat, you and I go down to the mall this afternoon for a little D&D shopping spree?"

Her face lit up. "Really?"

"Really."

Sango cleared her throat.

Kagome's dad gave her a mock wounded look. "You spend more time with my daughter every day then I do myself in a month. Can't I get a break for once?"

She sighed. "Okay. I guess it won't kill me or anything… but you've got to promise to show me everything you got, okay?" she demanded of Kagome.

Kagome raised her right hand solemnly. "Cross my heart and hope to die." Then she carefully picked up a cinnamon bun with her napkin and bit into it. "Mmm! Pillsbury makes the best stuff!"

"Um," her father said, "actually, Pillsbury didn't make that."

"Oh. Well, Nestle then. Even though I like Pillsbury better…" She took another huge bite, looking surprisingly like a greedy hamster hoarding the entire food bowl as she chewed.

"…Not Nestle, either…" he said, beginning to look ticked off.

She looked at him, noticing his expression. "Fine then. Who?"

"Me!" He all but shouted.

Kagome's eyes widened. "Really? No way."

"You never cease to amaze us," Sango added, happily licking the frosting from her fingers.

"Really. I'm so glad," he muttered, and went off to put on his socks.

* * *

_Much, _much later, Kagome's dad decided that maybe the time he was able to spend with his daughter was sufficient enough after all and declared an end to their shopping excursion. Loaded down with as many shopping bags as a Christmas tree had ornaments, he staggered after her as they walked home. 

"I think we… stayed a little later then… we should've," he puffed along behind her.

"No we didn't. It's only six-thirty. The mall closes in another half-hour."

"That's kind of… my point, Kagome…"

She laughed as they made their way across the street and down an alley-way shortcut to their apartment. "Don't be silly. We could've gotten more stuff if _someone _hadn't-"

She was abruptly cut off as something cool and sharp appeared at her throat and her arms were pulled sharply behind her back. "Well, well, look at the little mouse we caught," a voice sneered. "Not one move, missy."

"_Mice_. And they've got quite a lot of cheese," another voice replied. Kagome glanced over at her father and saw that he was in the same predicament.

"Now, girly, that looks like a pretty little purse you have there…" at this her purse was practically yanked off of her shoulder, "Inside and out!"

They were going through her money! Kagome let out a little cry as the knife pressed harder against her throat. "You aren't holding out on us, are you girly? Nothing else in your pockets?"

The thug that was holding her sniggered. "Maybe we should che- OOF!!"

He was abruptly silenced as something-someone- barreled into him, knocking him down flat. Kagome fell forward onto the pavement as the other thieves cried out in surprise.

"Wh-what the…?!"

The thug's attacker abruptly straightened up and turned to face Kagome and her father. It turned out to be none other then a little boy with long white hair and a dirty red kimono. "What are you standing there for?" he yelled at them. "Run for it!"

"But… you'll…" Kagome stammered out, astonished that such a little kid had dared to take on a full-grown, knife-wielding adult.

"Go on already!" And without waiting for a reply, he turned and kicked an attacking thug in the crotch.

Kagome's dad grabbed his daughter's hand as she stood frozen in half-fear, half-surprise. "Come on, sweetheart! We've got to go!"

She finally snapped out of it. "B-but… that kid, he-"

"I'm sure he'll be fine!"

Kagome reluctantly persuaded her feet to move, all the while casting numerous worried glances over her shoulder at the ensuing, unfair fight. Unfair for the boy, that is.

Then they rounded the corner, effectively cutting off her view of the brawl.

* * *

"Oh, I hope he's all right… I hope he's okay…" Kagome fretted, pacing up and down the living room and wringing her hands anxiously. "I _hope_ he's all right…" 

"Honey," her dad said from where he was massaging his wrists on the sofa, "Don't worry. We got away okay, we have all- well, _some_ of our things (I had to leave some behind)… and I'm sure that boy knew what he was doing when he took them on. He sure seemed strong for his age."

"But…" The sounds of his pained cries haunted her even then. "He's just a little kid… and strong doesn't really mean skilled, you know? And they wouldn't have stayed surprised for long… and they had knives, and what if-" She increased her pacing, her hands over her face. "What if…!"

"Kagome, it's fine," her father sighed tiredly, before brightening up as if he'd just had a grand idea. "I know, why don't you make yourself some nice hot tea, I'm sure it'll help calm you down."

Kagome knew her father was just trying to be comforting, but did he _have _to sound so unconcerned? In a heartbeat, she reached a decision. She whirled around and hurried down the hall to her room, grabbed a spray can off of her desk and ran to the door.

Her dad looked up in surprise. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going back to look for him!"

He started in alarm. "You can't! Those thugs could still be hanging around!"

"That's why I've got this!" She briefly held up the can of pepper spray that her somewhat paranoid father insisted on her bringing with her everywhere she would be unchaperoned before running out the door, ignoring her father's warning shouts.

* * *

Afterwards, Kagome would barely remember running down the apartment steps and down the sidewalk. She didn't care that people were turning to stare at the girl who looked like she was fleeing a pack of rabid dogs. All she was thinking about was reaching the alleyway… and the numerous, unpleasant fates that could have befallen the boy. 

"Please, _please_ be all right," she prayed as her breathing became more labored. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she almost ran right past the familiar dingy alleyway with the familiar dumpster graffitied with obscurities.

Skidding to a halt, she doubled back a few steps and cautiously went forward into the alley, cayenne pepper spray shakingly held out in front of her. At first she could not see the boy anywhere and grew even more anxious, but then she heard some wheezing noises on the far side of the dumpster. She hurried around it to see the boy who'd fought the street gang… and who'd evidently lost, if the dark stains on his kimono and the way he was holding his right arm were any indication.

"Oh my god…" Heedless of the filthy ground, she dropped to her knees and tentatively reached out to him. "Hey…a-are you okay?"

He looked up, wincing in pain, and for the first time Kagome noticed, with some shock, that he was sporting a pair of somewhat large, white cat ears right on top of his head.

"It's… you…" the boy gasped out, before his eyes slid shut and he slumped forward in a dead faint.

* * *

"Dad!" 

Her father had not moved from the sofa, where he was sitting with his hands clenched in front of him. He looked up in relief as he heard her voice. "Kagome! I'm so glad you got back safely, I was-"

His face fell as Kagome shuffled in through the door, bent under the weight of the sleeping boy she was carrying piggy-back. "Oh Kagome, you didn't…"

"Yes, I did," she replied defiantly, walking over to the couch and carefully letting the boy slide off; her dad got up hastily to make room. "He's really hurt, Dad, can you stay here with him?" Kagome asked distractedly as she turned away. "I'm going to get bandages and antiseptic and…" She hurried off.

"H-hey! Kagome, wait! How…" He sighed, then slumped down in the armchair opposite the sofa, clearly deep in thought.

When Kagome came back, laden with medical supplies, she asked, "Has he woken up yet?"

Her father shook his head. "No… Listen, honey, let's let him sleep before we do anything, okay?"

"Sure. It'll give me time to make some food, anyway." She headed for the kitchenette, musing, "I think some soup will be good… what kinds do we have?"

"Honey… you aren't thinking of letting him stay here, are you?"

She looked back, a stubborn expression instantly painting itself on her face. "Of course!

"Kagome," her dad protested, "We can't let him stay here! He's got to have a family waiting for him somewhere-"

"Well, they can't be a very good family, I mean look at him, he's so filthy-"

"And if we let him stay for long, someone would notice him sooner or later! Then, as we'd have no intention of making him leave, we'd have to start paying rent for him, too, and we can't afford that!"

"What about all those?" She made a sweeping gesture with her arm, indicating the remainder of the shopping bags dumped in the hallway. "Surely his rent would cost at least that much… and yet there they sit, bought and not about to go back!"

"Well… that's different…" Kagome, however, could see he was beginning to weaken. "It _is_ your birthday, and…"

"How about we wait until he wakes up and see what he has to say about it," Kagome said decidedly as she began to tinker around in the kitchenette.

Her dad thought for a while, then said grudgingly, "Oh, all right… but if he can't stay, he can't stay, all right?"

She glared at him. "If that happens, we only kick him out _after_ he's healed."

"Done," her father sighed wearily, rubbing a hand over his eyes.

Kagome grinned and tossed him an orange to peel.


	2. The Doctor is Out of the Loop

Chapter 2: The Doctor is Out of the Loop

Okay, it's my vacation, and as it is vacation I am going to try and complete this next chapter. I'd work on my other stories, but I'd already started working on the next chapters for them, and I don't have the little memory chip with me... this story, however, remains follow-up-chapter-less. Until NOW.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. I also know nothing of medical diagnosis or of treating knife wounds- what I depict is just what I know about treating basic wounds, like scrapes and scratches, in general. So in case there are any people out there stupid enough to seriously consider drawing knowledge of these things from this fic- DON'T.

* * *

Kagome gazed down at the unconscious boy, shaking her head sadly. His face was drawn as if in pain, or from a nightmare, or an unpleasant memory. Up close the condition of his grungy kimono was augmented, so that large spots of dirt and who knew what else were visible... she was certain that it would take a hundred washings to get the clothing bright and clean again. And those strange cat ears, and that tangled white hair? What was with this boy? Obviously the ears were fake, although they didn't look like most cheap ears you saw in costume stores... in fact, they looked almost real. And the hair... long hair on a boy? Long WHITE hair, no less? It must be a wig... but what a strange costume. And what could be the occasion for such a thing, anyway? 

Then her gaze fell on the dark, wet stains seeping through the kimono, and her attention was instantly diverted. First things first... if those stains were from what she thought they were, they had to be taken care of! Kagome had never been entirely squirm-free when it came to the sight of blood, but under the circumstances...

Taking a deep breath to strengthen her resolve, she sank down on the edge of the wooden coffee table next the sofa, reaching over to remove the boy's top. Despite trying to do it as gently as possible, she winced whenever she thought she'd made too abrupt a movement, or pulled too hard... it was all in her head, however, and she managed to get both the outer kimono and the undershirt off without too much incident, dropping them on the floor. Her eyes roved over his torso, searching for wounds, and her lips drew tighter with each new find. Fortunately, there were not that many, and none of them were actually that deep- they just bled a lot. There were bruises aplenty, however. Obviously the thugs had been more interested in teaching the boy a lesson than ending his interference for good. Kagome set about treating the few wounds with the medical supplies she'd brought out; first cleaning, then bandaging them.

At one point her father ventured from the armchair from which he was observing: "You sure you're okay, honey?"

"Yes, I- well, no, not really."

"...Then, do you need any help?"

"No Dad, I'm fine. It's not like I'm doing heart surgery, or anything."

"All right, well, if you need my help..."

"It's fine, Dad."

At last she was done. She sat back with a satisfied sigh and surveyed her handiwork with pride. The worst wound had been on his upper arm, but it hadn't been caused by a knife... Kagome finally identified it as the result of a nasty fall to the pavement that had scraped some skin clean off. But with the cleaning and large adhesive gauze she'd placed over it, it would hopefully be all right.

Her father rose and came to stand beside her, scrutinizing the outcome of his daughter's playing nurse. "Well, honey, it looks like that should do it... Not too bad." He puffed out his chest a bit. "Must run in the family!"

"Thanks... maybe it does. But I'd rather not to have had to have done it at all." Her face fell a little as she reached forwards to remove the fake ears and wig to make the boy more comfortable.

"Yes," her father sighed mournfully. "But you know, Kagome, the world is not a pleasant place... there are always going to be people out there who'd mug an innocent rather than go get a decent job, or who would-"

He was interrupted by a horrified gasp. "Kagome? What is it?"

"...ears..." She squeaked almost inaudibly.

"What was that?"

Kagome turned to him, her face white. "His ears, Dad... they won't come off!"

Before he could react, the boy's eyes snapped open. Upon seeing their faces he shot up, then froze, wincing as he clamped a hand to a large bruise on his stomach.

Swallowing, Kagome ventured, "H-hey... y-you all right?"

"All right?" He spat at her. "Course I'm not all right! Can't you see all these bruises? Are you blind?" He nearly yelled this last.

She flinched back. "I'm sorry!"

He snorted, turning to glare at her through narrowed eyes. "You know, don't you." It was not a question.

"Wh-what?"

"My ears! You thought they were fake, didn't you? Tried to take them off... only they won't come off. They're stuck there sure as the ones on your own head!"

"Uhm... y-yes, well... If you don't mind, can you tell us why that is?"

"I can... but I won't. I don't have to tell you a damn thing!"

Ever the father, Kagome's dad opened his mouth to tell the youngster off- but his daughter beat him to it. "Hey! That's no way to talk to someone who just saved your life!"

"Saved my _life_? You sure are flattering yourself. It would take a lot more than _this_ to stop me."

"Oh, do tell. If you ask me, you're the one who's flattering yourself. You were barely standing when I got to you! You could at least show a little gratitude!" She stood and jabbed a finger at the bandages. "But of course, if you're so mighty that THIS wouldn't stop you, maybe I shouldn't have bothered. Maybe I was just wasting my time. In that case, you're free to leave... Go on! Get on your feet and walk out!"

"_Kagome_!" Her father reprimanded her harshly; but his voice fell on deaf ears. All his daughter cared about at the moment was putting this spoiled up-start in his place.

The up-start made a face at her, swung his legs to the ground- and instantly sank back down on the sofa, his features etched in pain.

"There!" Kagome exclaimed triumpantly. "See? Now lay back down and eat this!" She took the plate of orange slices beside her and pushed it in the boy's face.

He took it, frowning slightly. "You..."

"Huh?"

He was silent for a few moments, then shook his head. "Nothing."

She shrugged and turned to her father. "So, Dr. Higurashi, what's your official diagnosis?"

"Hmm..." He squinted at the boy, who stared right back. "Well, you did a pretty good job on fixing him up, sweetie... Just like I knew you would. After all," he continued, his voice filling with pride, "there have been great doctors in the Higurashi family as far back as anyone can remember! Medical talent runs in our veins. Why, your great-great-great grandfather even won an medal for successfully treating, when no one else could, the King of-"

"_Dad_!"

"Sorry! Uh, ahem, yes..." He bent and poked at a large stomach bruise that was turning purple and yellow, causing the boy to flinch and yell at him. "I think that you'll be fit to move around again in a few days at the very least. The knife wounds, those aren't very deep and should heal smoothly... but some of the bruises you have here are pretty ugly, young man. No strenuous activities!" He shook his finger at the boy in a teasing manner befitting a child of his age.

Instead of a reasurred giggle, Dr. Higurashi got an extremely insulting expression as a reply. Kagome saw his crestfallen face and inwardly sighed- well, what did he expect?

"So how old are you, exactly?" She asked the boy, both to affirm and to avoid bloopers like this in the future.

He mumbled something.

"...Listen! Crickets!" She exlaimed over-enthusiastically.

"I'm _ten_, okay? What's it to you?" He retorted.

"Nothing. Just curious." She smiled. "And what's your name?"

"...miuwasha."

She cupped a hand around her ear, leaned towards him and called, "EH? What's that?"

"INUYASHA!" He yelled in her ear. She reeled back a few steps. Well, she had asked for it, but still...

"...Ookay. Well, it's nice to meet you, Inuyasha. I'm Kagome, and this is my dad. You can just call him Dr. Higurashi."

"Hey there," her dad greeted him sunnily.

"...Hi."

What a great conversationalist, Kagome reflected. "Um, listen, are you hungry?"

"You have food?" The way he perked up was almost comical.

"Yep. Here, eat that orange and I'll go and make you something. Do you like grilled cheese?"

"I like cheese."

"Yes, but grilled- nevermind. I'll just go make it." She went to the kitchenette, where she began puttering around pulling things out from here and there.

There was a bit of an awkward silence in her wake as Inuyasha set to devouring the orange slices and Dr. Higurashi watched him perplexedly, trying not to let his gaze linger too long on the _ears that wouldn't come off_.

Finally, Inuyasha's jaw ground to a halt and the observer decided to make small talk. "So, Inuyasha... do you have a family?"

"No, I fell here from space."

"Yes, well, I mean... where are your mother and father?"

"Dead."

The flat, matter-of-fact way it was said made Dr. Higurashi squirm inside. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't be. It happened a long time ago."

"...Who do you live with now? Relatives?"

"No. I have no relatives." His eyes narrowed.

"Well, you must live with somebody..."

Inuyasha's eyes only narrowed further. It was obvious that he was not going to answer.

"Do you live in an orphange? It's nothing to be ashamed of, you know... Although I can't remember there being any orphanages near here..."

Dead silence.

A few minutes passed. Dr. Higurashi cleared his throat, but couldn't find anything else to say. Normal ten year olds didn't act like this... what had happened to make this boy so... callous?

His thoughts were interrupted by his daughter caroling out, "Finished!" Soon after she emerged from the kitchenette balancing three plates.

"Kagome, what...? Surely he can't eat all these..." Her father eyed the three sandwhiches increduously.

She rolled her eyes as she set them down on the coffee table. "Of course not, Dad. But it's almost dinner time anyway, so I thought that we could all eat together!" She beamed around as if it was the best idea in the world.

Inuyasha, apparently not getting the significance of the three plates, had scarfed down roughly a third of his sandwhich while this interchange was taking place. But as the words "eat together" fell on his ears, he stopped and stared at his sandwhich, then dropped it onto his plate.

Kagome looked over at him, her own whole sandwhich half-way to her mouth. "What's the matter? Are you not that hungry?"

"Not hungry." His head lowered, strands of unkempt hair falling forwards over his shoulders to obscure his face.

Alarmed at this sudden attitude switch, she asked, "Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm just tired."

Exchanging a worried glance with her dad, she said, "Okay... I'll go see if I can find a sleeping bag and an extra pillow."

Inuyasha's head lifted. "What? Why?"

She was already making her way to the hall. "Well, you're staying here tonight, aren't you?"

"B-but I-"

"No buts. There's absolutely no question of you moving an inch right now... right Dad?" She shot at her father, who had to swallow mid-bite to reply.

"Erm, right. Not an inch."

"So you can sleep out here on the sofa," she continued. "It's a lot softer than the floor."

The boy was silent so long that she had reached the assumption that he was not going to reply. But before she could head to the hall closet where the sleeping bag and assorted doo-dads were stashed, he asked, "I can... stay?"

"Yes," she answered, ignoring her father's protesting stare. "As long as you need to."

It was the first time she saw him smile.

* * *

Wow... this was all written on the spurr of the moment, practically. It's refreshing to let it all out. And now you know just how young Inuyasha is in this story. I wanted to make him a child, but not too young, and not too close to his teens. Please R let me know what you think! 


	3. Is it Like Security?

Chapter 3: Is it Like Security?

Next chapter up, finally! Enjoy!

* * *

"Inuyasha."

He stirred, but made no sound. Pulling the blanket over his head, he snuggled down into the warmth his own body heat had created and prayed for the disruption to his sleep to go away, let him grab a few more minutes…

"Inuyasha?" The voice was louder. Unfamiliar… No, wait. "Inuyasha, it's time to get up."

He pushed the blanket away from his face and sat up, taking in his surroundings. Sitting in a sleeping bag, in a small apartment, an older girl peering down at him… It all came rushing back.

"Finally, you're awake." Kagome smiled down at him, half-fondly and half-scolding. "It's almost noon, for your information. Where do you get off sleeping so late?"

The boy scowled, rubbing a hand over one eye and glaring up at her with the other. "Nowhere! I was just tired from beating up those thugs."

"…Yeah, I guess you would be." She held up a shopping bag and swung it slightly from side to side by the plastic handles. "Well? Don't you want to know what's inside?" She asked when he did nothing but stare at it rather dishearteningly.

"Why would I?"

"Because it's for _you_, silly! I got up this morning and headed straight for the mall so I could get these for you, so get out of there and look at them properly!"

She dropped the bag down onto the coffee table. As he pushed the top of the sleeping bag down and pulled his legs out to hang over the side of the sofa, she pulled out a boy's shirt, blue with a broad black stripe across the chest, khaki cargo pants with lots of useless, yet cool-looking pockets, several pairs of socks, and finally a shoe-box containing a pair of sneakers with the action hero of the day, Pythagorean Man, emblazoned impressively on the sides. These she lay out decorously on the table before turning to him with a benevolent smile.

"What do you think? I think they'll look really good on you," Kagome said satisfactorily. "Go in the bathroom down the hall and try them on! I want to know how they look."

Inuyasha didn't move. "What for?"

"What for?" She stared at him as if he were institutional. "Look at those things you're wearing! They're old, and dirty, and all ripped up, and they _smell_, too! The stuff I got is to replace them. Why you're not racing to change right now is beyond me."

He frowned at the clothes on the table as if _they_ were the repulsive-looking duds. "I don't want them," he announced stubbornly.

"What do you mean, you don't want them?"

"I said I don't want them!"

"But I spent all morning looking for you! I had to measure your feet and everything without waking you up! Do you know how hard that is?! Why don't you want them?"

"I-I like the stuff I have now." He sat back on the sofa.

Kagome glared at him, unable to grasp his ungraspable logic. "But why? Can't you at least try them on?"

His expression was final. _Zipped lips, sister._

Okay, so she was starting to cave a little. If he _really _didn't want them… But she wasn't about to give up completely. "At least the shoes? You can't run around barefoot like that all the time." _Or maybe he could, his soles are tough as cement- dirty as it, too._

"No. I've… just been like this awhile. I don't think I'd feel comfortable in them, that's all."

Shot down. But she still had one last bird up in the air. "Fine. Have it your way if you want." Kagome shook her head in defeat. "I'll just… take these back… No wait, I'll keep them just in case. But you still have to take a bath. _And_ I should wash and mend your clothes, so you'll have to change out of them anyway until I'm finished."

"I don't need a bath! I look fine!" He shouted, his dirt-smudged face standing out in the light and his long hair snarling rather horrifically all around it.

She folded her arms firmly. "Yeah, right. And I'm my own grandmother. You're taking a bath, and I'm fixing your clothes. And that's final!"

"NO!" He hollered back.

"Look, do you _really_ want me to strip you by force, haul you into that bathroom over my shoulder, and soap and scrub you while holding you down? Because I swear, I _will_ do it!!"

The expression on the teenage girl's face in addition to her threat was enough to cow even the most hard-core soul. Before he knew it, Inuyasha was in the tub grudgingly working shampoo into his hair while Kagome took a pair of kitchen tongs and carried his clothes to the washer.

* * *

At the sound of the door opening, Kagome turned around and grinned. "Aww, now don't you look sweet."

Inuyasha was standing there, bright and scrubby clean and clad in the outfit she'd bought for him. However, he'd flatly refused the shoes.

She walked closer and knelt, tugging at stray creases here and there. "Look at that! Perfect fit, too." She tugged on a dog ear playfully. "And these adorable things are the finishing touch. You could be some character out of a fantasy manga!"

But he yanked away, shouting, "Stop it! Don't touch them!"

"Oh… I'm… sorry." She'd understand perfectly if he was annoyed… but it was just some harmless teasing. Wasn't his reaction a little extreme? Unless… "Did it hurt? Is something the matter?" She asked in concern.

The boy stopped and looked at her in a defiantly mollified sort of way. "…It's fine. Sorry. I just don't like people touching my ears, is all."

"Yeah, I understand." Kagome rose and smoothed down her pant legs. "Well, time for lunch. You hungry?"

A sudden growling from his abdomen answered for him. She laughed. "Okay. What about oden?"

"Oden."

"…A hot dish? It's got eggs, tofu, octopus… beef, mushrooms, radishes… things like that. Cooked in broth?" She tilted her head to one side.

"It sounds… weird."

He looked rather curious nonetheless, and Kagome took heart from that. "No, it's really good. Trust me."

* * *

"_UGH!! BLEEUURRGGHH…_ This is the _WORST_ meal I've _EVER _had!" Inuyasha yelled, shoving away from the table as if it were on fire. "And _that_ is saying something!"

"What?! But I worked really hard on this!" Kagome glared at him, then at his still-full bowl in dismay. "What was wrong with it? I'll fix it…"

"Don't try it! The way you made it the first time, you'll probably just make it worse. And what's wrong with _you_? Those sandwiches you made last night were edible, how could you mess _this_ up?"

"I don't know! I honestly don't! I know I made it right!" She rushed over to the simmering pot, snatched off the lid and stared down into the gently bubbling contents, as if she'd be able to divinate an answer from the various ingredients floating around.

Inuyasha gazed in mingled nausea and horror at the concoction in front of him. "How many times have you tried this?"

Kagome turned back to glare at him. "I've made this plenty of times before, thank you very much… You know, with Dad away at work all the time, somebody has to be responsible for the meals." She retrieved a spoon from the drawer directly under the pot, dipped out some oden, blew on it gently, and put it in her mouth….

Only to spit it right back out again. "_UGH!!_" She sputtered, her face contorted with disgust. She almost dropped the spoon on the floor, but instead threw it in the sink as she dashed for a glass of water. "That _IS_ horrible!" She exclaimed in dismay after she'd tossed back the water like it was the Elixir of Life.

"I told you," Inuyasha muttered, sitting back in his chair with his arms folded.

Kagome turned off the pot and decided to wait for it to cool before dumping out its contents in the sink disposal. "Okay, I really don't know _what_ went wrong, but for now, let's stick with something safe." She went to grab some peanut butter from the pantry.

* * *

"Inuyasha, I'm _sorry!_"

"_You've tried to poison me twice already! Don't think I don't- BWEUUUUUGGGHHH…_"

"I've already apologized a gazillion times! How many more times do I have to say it? I honestly don't know what… It was peanut butter and jelly, for goodness' sake! How could that go wrong?" She asked the ceiling more than anyone else. "How?!"

Behind the bathroom door, Inuyasha did not reply, as he was busy emptying the contents of his stomach into the toilet bowl. Kagome hovered around outside, anxiously wringing her hands, cursing both herself and the food in turns.

"I just don't know what went wrong!" She wailed yet again.

"Then go figure it out," came the weak, muffled reply.

She sighed. It wasn't as if she had anything better to do. And she didn't want herself and her father to end up the same way. "Fine. Don't go anywhere, all right?"

"_HAAUUUGHH… Hack… _Oh, not _ME!_"

Kagome made tracks back to the kitchen and began carefully going over everything she'd used. All the utensils had been clean, as well as the cutting board… The veggies had been fresh, and she'd just defrosted the meat by way of microwave, so that should've been fine too. There's no way the broth was the source of Inuyasha's misery… Which only left…

"The eggs…?" She got the egg carton out of the refrigerator and looked at the expiration date perplexedly. Then she blanched. If the date and Inuyasha were any indication, they should have totally started to smell by now…

"Stupid eggs!" Kagome yelled as she chucked them in the trash. That was the _last_ time she let them go that long!

"Inuyasha!" She hollered happily as she skipped back to the bathroom door. "I found out what the matter was! It was the eggs, but it wasn't _my_ fault, they didn't smell so I thought they were okay. But they weren't, so I threw them out and we don't have to worry about them anymore."

"Oh, that's just wonderful," came the reply, "Just like free candy and balloons in the streets! But that still doesn't help- Oh, n- _HUUUUUUUURRRRRRLLLGGH._"

"Inuyasha?!"

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

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